filing+shredding+filing+shredding

The photograph represents just a token amount of the EIGHT large plastic sacks crammed full of shredded paper (all painstakingly shredded by yours truly) from the vaults of the outmoded Broadway family filing system. When we had the kitchen “done” last summer, I manhandled the massive, 4-drawer, metal filing cabinet down into the basement. The drawers contained filing amassed over the entire 38 years of our marriage (that sounds as if we’ve agreed to nullify our partnership - I assure you that’s not the case!).
Moira+I are not very good at filing.
We normally only do it when the filing tray pile has developed into a mountain (and, even then, we sometimes just dump the pile in the basement “for when we have more time”). Some time ago, we agreed that this half-term would be used to “sort out” our filing and, amazingly, that’s what we’ve done (well, almost done). Moira organized for someone to come and collect the filing cabinet (thanks to FreeCycle) and, at long last, the basement floor has begun to re-emerge. It’s been quite embarrassing to rediscover all the paperwork we’ve retained – gas and electricity bills from the year dot, old Council Tax bills, old Christmas letters, home insurance papers from our first Thame house, endowment mortage forms that were going to secure our financial future, countless bits of correspondence from my old practice’s accountants, draft practice accounts…. and on and on. Strange also to see the change in letterheadings (eg. graphic style etc) over the years from my former practice, our accountants, our insurance brokers and the like over more than three decades - especially the lack of fax numbers, websites and e-mail addresses.
Anyway, they’ve all gone… and Moira+I now have the makings of a new streamlined filing system – which, of course, we will be updating on a weekly basis from now on!
PS: my favourite discovery was a photocopy of a handwritten letter Moira sent to the tax man in 1985 asking when we might been receiving a small anticipated tax rebate and expressing the hope that it might be before Christmas – it included a drawing (by Moira) of Santa Claus emerging from a chimney with the words “ho ho ho, here’s your tax rebate Mrs Broadway!”. I cannot recall whether or not this cunning ploy was successful!

family lunch

Lovely to get together with my brother Alan+Lesley+girls for lunch near Gloucester yesterday – and very good that Ruth+Stu+girls were able to join us too. Wonderful also to see Megan+Eleanor blossoming into beautiful young women. Rosa+Iris didn’t let the side down and managed to provide some entertainment without too much distraction to other customers.
We don’t get together as often as we’d like but, every time we do, it feels very good!
Photo: some poor pics of a lovely afternoon!

PS: realised earlier that this would be my 700th blog (why doesn't the man get a life?). Yes, I know, pathetic!

pumping gas

Last weekend, I was bemoaning the likes of Barclays Bank.
This morning I see that British Gas announced that its operating profits had risen by 24% in 2010 (just two months after it had increased customers’ domestic energy bills by 7%). During the same period, its parent company Centrica doubled its operating profits to 29%. Don’t get me wrong, I accept that it’s good that businesses make a profit (I ran my own company for nearly 30 years), but I resent this world where the shareholder is king and the customers merely servants to the cause.
Later today, we’ll no doubt see Ofgem (it “regulates” the electricity and gas markets in the UK – “protecting customers is our first priority”) coming out with some sort of justification and, once again, we’ll be left feeling that it’s a terribly unfair world.

true grit

Moira, Hannah+I went to the Watershed this afternoon to see the latest offering from the Coen brothers. Beautifully filmed and brilliantly acted (especially Jeff Bridges as a fat, boozy, old guy with an eyepatch in late 19th-century Arkansas, who after a rackety career of gunslinging and soldiering is now employed as a US marshal). Although it was a very impressive film, I have to admit that I came out feeling just a little disappointed – perhaps I’d been influenced by the hype? I’ve just read a review that talks about “an exquisite sadness and gentleness” of its final moments – whereas I had shaken my head in disbelief as, firstly, Bridges’ weary horse – carrying Bridges and Mattie Ross (a 14-year-old girl played by newcomer Hailee Steinfeld) galloped across the screen like a Derby winner and then, after the horse had finally collapsed with exhaustion, Bridges (remember: the “fat, boozy, old guy”!) sprinted for several more miles cradling Steinfeld.
I think all the whisky he was drinking must have helped!

the diving-bell, the butterfly and the lucky man

I spent a lovely day with Iris and Rosa today (even though Rosa was a little under the weather). In the afternoon, despite the rain, we walked to the harbourside and visited SS Great Britain. We enjoyed fruit juices and muffins in the café and we chatted and laughed our way through the afternoon. It was all effortless and hugely enjoyable - simple pleasures!
After Stuart had collected the girls at the end of the afternoon, I continued to read Jean-Dominique Bauby’s beautiful and remarkable little book “The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly” - you may have already come across it yourself. After suffering a massive stroke, the author was paralysed from head to toe (locked-in syndrome) and he “dictated” the book using his left eyelid.
Within minutes of the girls’ departure, I read the following extract (Bauby had been playing “hangman” with his 10 year-old son) and it made me realise just how fortunate my life has been…. and just how much we take for granted:
“My heart is not in the game. Grief surges over me. His face not more than two feet from mine, my son Theophile sits patiently waiting – and I, his father, have lost the simple right to ruffle his bristly hair, clasp his downy neck, hug his small, lithe, warm body tight against me. There are no words to express it. My condition is monstrous, iniquitous, revolting, horrible. Suddenly, I can take no more. Tears well and my throat emits a hoarse rattle that startles Theophile. Don’t be scared, little man, I love you.”
I love you.

Photo: Rosa+Iris eating their Christmas lunch!

january/february books

More books, I’m afraid:
The Fry Chronicles (Stephen Fry): Incredibly readable. At over 400 pages, the book is probably much longer than it needs to be (Fry acknowledges this at the very start of the book) – afterall, it’s his second autobiography and it still only takes us up to his 30th birthday! I frequently had a sense that I could have skipped a few pages and not lost the general gist - a bit like tuning into the Archers every so often (which I don’t) and knowing you could catch up on the storyline very quickly. Having said that, I do love the way he writes and really didn't want the book to end.
The Wild Places (Robert Macfarlane): A simply magical, inspiring book – beautifully written – describing Macfarlane’s journeys around Britain seeking out the truly wild places. I’m really NOT one of those people who simply packs a warm sleeping bag and bivouac bag and trudges off in search of wilderness – especially at night and in the snow(!) – but even I was captivated by his adventures and stories.
All The Pretty Horses (Cormac McCarthy): I was incredibly impressed by McCarthy’s “The Road” and so decided to read his “The Border Trilogy” (this book is volume one). I found it a difficult book to get into at the start, but really warmed to it in the end. Set in America in the early 1950s, it deals (among other things) with the transition between boyhood and manhood. I’m looking to reading volumes two+three in due course!
Mountains of the Mind (Robert Macfarlane): Another wonderful Macfarlane book. I’m afraid I don’t have a head for heights and so mountaineering as a hobby is a definite “no no” for me. Despite this, I’ve read and enjoyed many books on the subject and this is one of the very best. Essentially, it’s a fascinating history of mountaineering but, like his “Wild Places” book, I particularly enjoyed tales of his own experiences.
What a Carve Up! (Jonathan Coe): This is our book group’s first book (blame Catherine!), so I suppose I shouldn’t really be commenting, to any great extent, here in advance of our meeting on 11 March! The book was published in the mid-1990s and is effectively a condemnation of Thatcher’s Britain. Whilst (as you might imagine) I found this easy to applaud and enjoy – it’s very funny at times, I was also irritated by its preposterous and, sometimes, predictably fantastic storyline. Having just finished the book, I’m left with mixed feelings about it. Maybe I’ll think differently once I’ve had time to reflect.

tax avoidance

Last November, I blogged about tax avoidance… and that there were some high-powered people who argued that the UK didn’t have a spending crisis, but that it had a tax avoidance crisis.
So I was absolutely furious to read an article in this morning’s Guardian which indicated that Barclays Bank had been forced to admit that it paid just £113million in UK corporation tax in 2009 – a year when it made record profits of £11.6bn (that’s 11,600million).
In other words, its tax bill represented just 0.974% of its profits!
Stunning. Sickening. Derisory. Just plain wrong.
So, at a time when most of us are being devastated by the billion-pound cuts to essential services that we all depend on, Barclays is paying out bonuses of £2bn and its CEO, Bob Diamond, is in line for a bonus of more than £8million. It’s important to understand that Barclays is not the only company accused of tax-avoidance in the UK - others include Boots and Vodafone.
Once again, clearly, we’re NOT 'all in this together'!
I’ve just signed up on the Robin Hood Tax website. Please do the same!

dad from hell and fears for the future

I’ve been haunted over the weekend by something I witnessed outside The Galleries shopping centre in Bristol on Saturday. It involved a young family – a father and a mother (I assume) and two young boys (say 3 and 5 years old). It all happened within the space of perhaps a minute. It seemed as if the mother and the youngest child had been a little late getting to a pre-arranged meeting point. “Dad” was absolutely FURIOUS – not in a huffing and puffing sort of way, but ABSOLUTELY furious. Dad was the only person making a noise – the other three remained completely silent. Dad was shouting a torrent of appalling abuse – he must have used the “F” word at least 30 times in this short period. He was SCREAMING at the woman and literally spitting out his venomous diatribe. It was really frightening and it was utterly sickening to behold.
The bewildered boys simply looked on; there were no tears, but they looked absolutely petrified. The mother remained silent. Perhaps unfairly, I got the impression that this was in no way a rare event and, by the level of the father’s rage, I couldn’t help thinking that the relationship was probably a violent one.
Since witnessing this, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the woman and her sons… in my head, I’m urging her to leave her partner and I fear for what the future holds for the boys. Have their lives already been stained forever? Will they simply “inherit” their father’s parenting “skills” and regard them as normal?
It would have been futile for me to have intervened and yet I feel massively guilty for not doing so.

gail's big birthday weekend

Moira+I spent a wonderful weekend in Devon to help celebrate our lovely friend Gail’s 50th birthday. We stayed with great mutual friends Mags+Jeremy at their home in Gurton village. Friday night was spent at the Island Street restaurant in Salcombe (and, crucially, being able to watch the Wales v England rugby game!); a fantastic Saturday lunch at The Old Bakery, Kingsbridge – with Gail, Ian, Rachel, Esther, Sid, Rachel, Mags, Jeremy, Ken, Debby, Cara, Moira+me all in attendance; more food+drink at Gail+Ian’s in Aveton Gifford (plus a hilarious game of charades) on Saturday evening; a beautiful walk down the estuary from Aveton Gifford to Bantham on Sunday morning – ending up at The Sloop Inn for lunch.
Gail is a very, very special friend and it was an absolutely brilliant weekend!
Photo: before the food had arrived (left to right: Rachel, Gail, Debby, Ken, Ian, Cara, Moira, Sid and Rachel at The Old Bakery, Kingsbridge).

kielder challenge 2011

Kielder Challenge is probably the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of my job. Each year four pupils from our school plus four pupils from Fosse Way School (a very special catering for young people with physical disabilities and/or severe learning difficulties), get together to compete in this national outdoor adventure event and competition which has run for over 25 years.
Yesterday, the pupils met for their first training/introductory session. It was very humbling watching them bond together so naturally and easily (and almost instantly!) - LOTS of laughter!
Whatever the outcome of our endeavours, it’ll be a life-enhancing experience for all of us taking part.
Photo: Megan, Charlotte, Alihan, Roxy, Becky, Andrew, Chris and Charlie.

faith healer

Moira+I went to see Brian Friel’s “Faith Healer” at the Bristol Old Vic last night (strangely, it was the first time we’d seen a performance in the Old Vic’s Studio). Powerful, hugely impressive play about a travelling faith healer. The play is in four acts, is about two hours in length and is performed by just three actors (all quite brilliant: Finbar Lynch, Kathy Kiera Clarke and Richard Bremmer). It provides conflicting accounts of shared experiences and events, but the really powerful aspect of the evening for me was the fact that each of the four acts featured just one actor only – each act was a half hour soliloquy. Beautifully performed – shocking, tender, sad and funny.
Don’t you just love live performance!

political masters

I watched Andrew Neil’s “Posher+Posher: Why Public School Boys Rule Britain” on BBC iPlayer earlier today. Fascinating stuff – set against the backdrop of having 75% of the coalition cabinet being millionaires and most of the top jobs in all parties being sewn up by public school or Oxbridge graduates. Neil’s programme tried to examine why, after a succession of state school-educated prime ministers (Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher and John Major), we have returned to a 1950s political elite. Neil (like me, from a grammar school background) came very close to calling for the reinstatement of a two-tier education system – making a straight correlation between the arrival of comprehensive secondary education and the rebirth of the English political elite. It makes all the stuff about us being “in it together” sound somewhat hollow! I was certainly struck by a comment from a pupil of Westminster School who was already talking about the “social networking benefits” that being part of the school brought (I can’t recall any of the pupils at my school making similar claims!). Neil also spoke to the Tory backbencher and wealthy Somerset landowner Jacob Rees-Mogg, who laughingly declared: "I am a man of the people; Vox populi, vox dei". You just HAVE to laugh!
I’m a firm believer in the comprehensive system (potentially raising the expectations of all school children, rather than consigning all but the “best” 20% of teenagers to the somewhat limited expectations of a secondary modern). I would, however, acknowledge that this rather plays into the hands of those with political ambitions whose families can afford to send them to the best public schools and perhaps therefore be more likely to gain an Oxbridge education (with some notable exceptions).
Are we really going to have to accept that most of our future leading politicians will emerge from the predictable line of a cultivated sense of entitlement, social networking and a financial cushion that enables the ambitious to work for next to nothing as special parliamentary advisers in the hope of getting parachuted into a safe parliamentary seat in due course (without any experience of the “real world”)?
I have to say that, with the return of this so-called political elite and the influential world of media magnates, I find it all a quite depressing state of affairs. Is there another way? Will future leaders come from the world of political journalism or the arts (poets, writers) or the trade unions (I now see why establishments such as Ruskin College, Oxford came into being)?
Suddenly, it all becomes clear… in this world of “popular celebrity culture”(!), the only alternative route for grooming future UK political leaders will be from the worlds of show business and sport! Perhaps Cheryl Cole or Simon Cowell or Sir Alex Ferguson or David Beckham or maybe even Stephen Fry?
Stephen Fry?… now there’s a thought (oh no, perhaps not: public school, Cambridge etc)!

more family christmas 2

Moira’s sister Sheila also joined us for our Christmas weekend from Saturday afternoon onwards. We went for a wander around the harbourside after church yesterday and stumbled upon a whole mass of Santas – which seemed quite appropriate for our own “proper” family Christmas celebrations! It turned out that the original “Santa on the Run” 2km fun run (in aid of Children's Hospice South West) had, like our Christmas, had to be re-arranged because of the weather. It looked like great fun!
Moira, Sheila+I ended up having a very good lunch (yes, yet more food!) at Bordeaux Quay.
Photo: a few happy Santas on their fun run.

grandchildren

As you might have gathered, Moira+I very much enjoyed being in the bosom of our family over the weekend. Really lovely to get together again. One of the great bonuses of the weekend was watching the grandchildren play so beautifully together. Dan+Jemima really don’t know Iris+Rosa very well at all, but there were absolutely no problems and they all seemed to spend an awful lot of the time in fits of giggles (well, Dan+Iris anyway!). The two older ones decided to put on a “goodbye concert” (well two songs!) – with Iris singing a made-up song about angels (I think) and Dan playing the harmonica. It could all have gone so VERY wrong when Dan started blowing through the wrong side of the harmonica - but he stopped, realised his mistake, described his silly error to the audience, laughed at himself and then proceeded to play the right side as if it was all part of the act!
Photo: Rosa+Ruth+Dan+Iris+Alice+Jemima.

family christmas 2

Yes, I know this photograph is absolutely AWFUL in terms of quality, but at least it’s a record of a lovely evening. Alice+Dave+Dan+Jemima came down to Bristol yesterday for a couple of days (sadly, but understandably, Mikey was at home with his aunty Helen because he finds changes to his routine very difficult to cope with at present) and so we were able to get together with Ruth+Stu+Hannah+Felix for our belated Christmas supper (the original having to be cancelled due to bad weather). The food was wonderful and we laughed a lot!

Happy happy times!
Photo: Stu, Felix, Dave, Ruth, Alice+Hannah.

looking forward to retirement 3

I started by outlining my anxieties, so what about the things I’m looking forward to (in no particular order):
TRAVEL:
Ireland, Scandinavia, Italy and lots of places in the UK - but perhaps also seeing cities such as: Amsterdam and Istanbul? Maybe even a trip to a desert? Certainly returning to Venice, yet again.
VOLUNTARY WORK:
Really unsure of anything like this – but a few weeks/months with the Iona Community could be a vague possibility perhaps? Would I be too old? What on earth could I provide in terms of any skills? I know there are bound to be lots of voluntary things I could get involved locally – but, at this stage, I really think I want to bide my time and not jump into the first opportunity that comes along (I seem to have spent these last few years desperately trying to opt out of committees and the like!).
MUSIC, THEATRE+CINEMA:
Listening to music (of all sorts) has provided me with much pleasure over the past few years – especially since getting my i-Pod. I’d like to think I would become a more regular concert-goer (and perhaps explore some free concerts too eg. St George’s?). I love live-performance - especially theatre – and it would be good to ensure regular attendance by becoming the equivalent of “Friends of the Playhouse” as we did in Oxford some years ago (which gave 2 for 1 tickets on opening nights). Cinema at the Watershed has provided huge enjoyment over the past three years or so and I feel sure this will continue to be the case.
SPORT:
I really do quite fancy watching County Cricket again – I may even become a member of Gloucestershire CC (if it’s not too expensive)?! I’m sure I’ll continue to play the odd game of golf.
FREEDOM+FLEXIBILITY+SIMPLE PLEASURES:
I know I will continue to take pleasure in getting up early and taking full advantage of what I’ve always felt was “the best of the day”. Clearly, this is far easier to do on beautiful, bright sunny mornings rather than those dark, wet ones – but I’m determined to remind myself that I AM able to enjoy this time (rather than having to go into work or whatever). The simple discipline of daily walking or bike-riding will also hopefully keep me fit.
Utilising my bus pass rather more would also seem to be sensible (not just for Bristol locations)!
WALKING (if my hip will stand it!):
I certainly want to undertake some walking “projects” – part of the Dorset Coastal Walk, for example; exploring canalside walks around Bath/Bradford on Avon; actually finishing the Thames Path (we’ve only got a few miles left to go, but last did any of it about 8 years ago!); exploring local walks around Bristol.
GRANDCHILDREN:
I absolutely love being a grandfather. Being with Mikey, Iris, Dan, Rosa+Jemima has given me SO much pleasure and I very much look forward to continuing this involvement with them (and any others that might follow) in the years to come... and also having the opportunity to see much more of Mikey, Dan+Jemima (and Alice+Dave!).
PHOTOGRAPHY:
I can’t remember precisely when Moira gave me a camera for my birthday (1997?), but I now regard it as a pivotal moment in my life (that sounds rather pathetic doesn’t it!). Taking photographs has become a really important for me – I have my camera with me most of the time. I think I “see” a good photograph and but, technically, I’m pretty useless (hopeless at taking pictures in poor light etc and can only sigh in admiration when I see Dylan’s stunning “people pictures”, for example). So maybe retirement will give me time to “learn” about taking proper stuff!
DRAWING+PAINTING:
When I retired from my architectural practice and moved to Bristol, this was something I was “definitely” going to do more of. In reality, I haven’t done anything like as much as I’d hoped. So this is something else that I’m determined to do more of. I’d like to work on canvas; I’d like to do some printing (but I absolutely hate the prospect of going to “classes”).
GARDENING:
I hesitated in actually typing this word! I’m certainly not a natural gardener but it would good to be able to spend some time helping with some digging/soil-turning at R+S’s allotment or H+F’s big garden perhaps – as well as enjoying our own garden.
PROJECTS:
Essentially, I think I’m a “project person” so I think this is likely to be reflected in a number of my retirement pastimes, for instance: family history? photographic book?
Note: I also realise that there will inevitably be DIY/maintenance tasks (but no doubt, these will be “necessary” rather “pleasurable”!).
SPIRITUALITY/RHYTHM OF LIFE:
I want to find more time for reflection and to explore aspects of my own spiritual life (sounds pretty onerous doesn’t it!); I certainly intend to study/re-study some books (eg. Ian Adams’s excellent “Cave Refectory Road: monastic rhythms for contemporary living”).
FRIENDS:
Finding more time to visit/catch up with friends.
PS: Obviously, Moira will also be retired and we’ll obviously be undertaking a fair number of the above together (and, no doubt, I’ll be sharing some on her list too!).

looking forward to retirement 2

More retirement thoughts.
As more people learn that I’m about to retire, the inevitable question arises: “so, Steve, what are you going to do when you retire?”. Sometimes it’s as if someone is asking me what I was going to do now I’d won several million pounds on the lottery! I always seem to give a pretty lame response like “oh, I suppose I’ll be taking lots of pictures”! Actually, I don’t see that “retirement” should represent a sudden or huge change in life-style or routine at all and I think I’ve been adjusting to retirement ever since I stopped work at Brocklehurst Architects in 2005.
I’m well aware that there are some things that, several years ago, I HAD imagined I/we would be doing during retirement but which no longer seem that crucial. For instance:
GOLF:
I can recall my great mate Pete and me talking about our respective retirements several years ago…. we were going to play golf together several times a week. Obviously, having moved to Bristol in 2003, this isn’t going to happen – as he frequently reminds me! I used to play golf at least once a week but, over the past few years, this is no longer the case. Essentially, this is due to a) not having a group of regular golfing buddies in the Bristol area, b) no longer being a member of a golf club (largely due to a) and c) the expense.
WORLD TRAVEL:
There was a time when I desperately wanted to travel to India, China, Africa, North and South America and, possibly, Australia. I no longer have this “urge” to travel the world and now feel happier/content with focussing on places closer to home (whether re-visiting or experiencing for the first time) – although I would still like to photograph a desert one day! I accept that this is perhaps partly due to a realistic assessment of a lack of funds and environmental concerns, but we’ll see.

west ham up, villa down?

It was inevitable that Martin O’Neill would be returning to top-flight football; it was just a matter of time. I actually thought he would end up replacing Ferguson at ManU within the next year or so. It now appears that O’Neill will soon be announced as the new West Ham manager (according to the BBC website).
It still hurts that he is longer at the Villa – particularly given how they’ve performed this season without him - and I have a horrible, sneaking feeling that O’Neill will end up helping the Hammers retain their Premiership status… at the expense of a certain Aston Villa. Maybe that’s why he’s taking the job?
I would be enough to make grown men cry (ok, me!).

looking forward to retirement 1

You might recall that I’ve previously threatened to “commit some of my retirement thoughts” to computer. Although I feel sure that many of these thoughts will change over the coming weeks/months/years, it will be interesting (for me!) to see how the anticipation and reality of retirement compare (and, in a way, this is one of the principle reasons for writing this some six months before my retirement). On the face of it, my retirement should be fairly straightforward – because I’ve already “retired” once (from my architectural practice in 2005) before working in a secondary school for six years.
It’s probably easiest to start with my anxieties.
FINANCE:
Having been self-employed for the vast majority of my working life, through the financial ups and downs of running an architectural practice, I haven’t got a healthy nest-egg to fall back on. Will we have enough money to last into our old age? We live relatively simple lives but, even so, it’s a big concern. In the past, I’ve often joked that we can only afford to stay alive until we’re 70. In many ways, I still feel that this is the case!
BOREDOM:
Will I be bored by retirement? Will I just fritter away the days and end up feeling depressed by my inability to enjoy my new-found freedom?
I would love to be able just to sit and read for hours on end (just like Moira) but, apart from relatively short periods on holiday, I’ve found this almost impossible in the past... although I have improved over recent years.
I’m definitely not someone who would find the prospect of staying in bed until mid-morning at all appealing. I imagine that I would continue to be an “early-morning person” - although perhaps not getting up at 5am?
HEALTH:
I’m in good health, touch wood. In fact, thus far, I’ve never spent a night in hospital and am well aware that I’ve largely taken good health for granted. I’m also conscious that most of the things I enjoy (walking, cycling, drawing/painting, photography, reading, music etc) depend on a continuance of this state of affairs. Obviously, this also applies to Moira. Ironically, I’ve recently been troubled by a painful hip (my mother and grandmother both had hip-replacements!) and suddenly fear that my days of walking and cycling may be somewhat curtailed! One of our joint fears would be to end up in an “old peoples’ home”.
PEOPLE:
Having spent nearly six years working in a school environment, I know that I’ll miss the daily exchanges and banter with lots of other people.
Right, that’s enough for starters!

more education, more Gove

So, Schools in England are now being measured according to how many pupils achieve grades A*-C in five core subjects - Maths, English, two Science qualifications, a Foreign Language and either History or Geography. I’m afraid I’m not a great lover of league tables at the best of times and I certainly have reservations about the Government’s latest education initiative (English Baccalaureate). My fear is that schools will feel the need to focus on the more traditional subjects and I really don’t think that a narrow academic course is appropriate for ALL students. There will no doubt be a tendency for schools to feel that they should be promoting a curriculum to improve a school’s league table standing rather than adopting a system that would benefit all students – including the less academic.
It would appear that, in the Government’s eyes, Physical Education, Art, Music, Technology, Drama, Dance, Philosophy+Belief and the like are very much second division subjects (continuing the league table jargon!).
I thought this caller on a radio phone-in had a number of salient points for consideration by Mr Gove on the new English Baccalaureate – click here, it’s definitely worth a listen.
The caller said: "Children go to school to work out who they are and what they want to study…. My guess is that this just reflects your own personal, narrow experience of education... I'd just ignore your silly English Baccalaureate."